Google Ads vs. WordStream

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Google Ads
Score 8.4 out of 10
N/A
Google Ads (formerly AdWords) is Google's pay-per-click online advertising program. With Google Ads users set their budget and choose where their ads appear in search listings, and on partner websites. Google Ads uses cost-per-click (CPC) bidding.
$500
in Ads credit in the first 60 days
WordStream
Score 6.9 out of 10
N/A
Wordstream, the eponymous offering from the company in Boston, MA, provides a free tool for analyzing performance "grading" an Adwords campaign, beyond which, Wordstream Advisor provides (for a fee, though a free trial is available) recommendations to optimize a paid advertising campaign on Google, Bing, and Yahoo! search engines, and place ads. Beyond the platform, Wordstream also offers full account management services, for outsourcing one's campaign, and white labeling for…N/A
Pricing
Google AdsWordStream
Editions & Modules
Offer A
$500
in Ads credit in the first 60 days
Offer B
$1500
in Ads credit in the first 60 days
Offer C
$3000
in Ads credit in the first 60 days
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Google AdsWordStream
Free Trial
NoYes
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Google AdsWordStream
Considered Both Products
Google Ads
Chose Google Ads
Audience demographic reach is more when compared to the microsoft advertising. Google has massive reach and high search volume. It has a very great ecosystem and ad formats which means it supports multiple systems and has various tools integration google analytics helps track …
Chose Google Ads
I find the Google products easier to use, and with the ease of use it is quicker to get my message out in front of my customer. I think with the other platforms we have also tried (Meta) that the approval process is so much longer that if you want to get something out NOW when …
Chose Google Ads
Google Ads is by far the best PPC advertising mechanism I've used especially when compared to the Microsoft/Bing platform. It's easier to navigate and the budgets are spent more effectively and efficiently. The display of the search results is easier to read and the quality of …
Chose Google Ads
Google Ads remains at the top advertising channel within our business for both lead volume and revenue generation, whilst maintaining a reasonable cost per lead (CPL). Both Meta Ads and Microsoft Ads have a much lower CPL, those channels don't contribute as much revenue and …
Chose Google Ads
Google Ads is one of the more advanced tools, all the above tools listed are great and provide very advanced features for advertising on those platforms. Usually a business would use multiple tools. Google Ads is great as it is very fined and established so you know what you …
Chose Google Ads
Google is a lot better at not just banning you for no reason. The platform is very intuitive and gets you in front of many people. Meta Ads is notorious for banning people and not giving them any reason. Google is very reasonable and has guidelines. Google clicks are also much …
Chose Google Ads
These are different channels, with different audiences and targeting options. It is important to first understand your objective, who you want to reach and at what stage of the journey.
Chose Google Ads
Well, I use Facebook/Meta pixels sometimes. But it is not as good as Google Ads. There are a lot of people searching on Google for good web development firms but how many are there finding the same sort of person on Facebook or Linkedin?
Thus, I like the abundance of users …
Chose Google Ads
It's gives me better results than the other platforms, cause by setting up keywords that are relevant to my business I can really target people who are actively searching for the topic. This really filters leads and brings better results.
Chose Google Ads
It is part of the Google suite of tools for content management for advertising and ads in the Google search engine.
Chose Google Ads
Google Ads is more robust and has more features as compared to Microsoft Advertising, aka Bing Ads. Google has better and more reach than other search engines in the market. Google stands well against all its competitors when it comes to media planning and buying. Go for it any …
Chose Google Ads
Google Ads can be more useful than LinkedIn & Facebook Ads because it is reaching a larger pool of users. Both platforms have even better/more targeting options, but they limit the amount of reach you will receive. Google Ads catches users at the top of the sales funnel.
Chose Google Ads
Google ads provide no customer service.
Chose Google Ads
We had to stop using Bing as the results were all over the place and so we couldn't trust the service.
Chose Google Ads
We have observed that the Bing Ads performs better than the Google Ads when we target the older audience. The cost per conversion is also better than the Google Ads on Bing because of low competition possibly. However, Google Ads is preferred by us mostly because of the …
Chose Google Ads
Google Ads clearly has high potential as more users search for their product when compared to other channels hence getting the desired audience.
Chose Google Ads
Neither platform seems to perform in my opinion. Google Ads is much more complicated while Facebook Ads are simpler to implement and run. No positive ROI on either though!
Chose Google Ads
We would use Facebook advertising often to generate strong reactions online. The benefit of using Google Ads is that people are always searching on Google and it's quick to pull your name first in a search ranking, where a majority of people are likely to click on compared to …
Chose Google Ads
In most cases, it's better between features, usability, performance (though Bing can sometimes cost less). Google is also smarter about its keywords. Bing is more similar to how Google was five or more years ago (needing to add variations to those keywords). I will say, though, …
Chose Google Ads
Google Ads is pretty strong when it comes to search and shopping campaigns. It's a great tool to target people who are ready to buy and actively looking for products we have to offer. On the other hand, Facebook has been a great tool for raising awareness, brand uplift, and …
Chose Google Ads
Other platforms like Facebook Business Manager or Twitter Ads do not allow the same level of optimization and control of targeting as Google Ads. In same cases it may have less reach, but being more precise is better to see a ROAS sooner.
Chose Google Ads
Google is the largest search engine with the most users so this is the first choice. Other advertising options can give results but not to the same degree that Google Ads does. They have a better platform than other types of platforms available. This makes it the best option …
Chose Google Ads
Google Ads has far more reach/audience capabilities than Microsoft Ads. More users use Google than Microsoft products.
Chose Google Ads
While it is still important to be present in those engines, Google Ads still offers the largest inventory, which helps reach more users and drive bigger volumes of conversions and achieve higher ROI.
WordStream
Chose WordStream
I've never used a system to help with my Google AdWords. This was the first system I had used. WordStream definitely takes the cake though, I have a hard time believing there could be a better system out there. I wouldn't even consider going to look for a new system. I am …
Chose WordStream
WordStream provides descriptions and offers help when you're uncertain about how to fix issues within an account. Its streamlined approach allows you to get twice the work done in the same amount of time. Google Ads is a beast in itself to tackle with having to click in …
Chose WordStream
I prefer WordStream because it leaves the important decisions us. I've heard horror stories of companies that use fully-automated platforms that created HUGE messes for them. WordStream is also much easier to use than other similar platforms that I've used.
Chose WordStream
None. We hadn't really considered a software like WordStream to assist with our pay-per-click advertising campaigns until we were introduced to WordStream. Now, we have no reason to look anywhere else. It's been one of the best software investments that we've made over the last …
Chose WordStream
WordStream is a great supplement to Google Ads. You're basically paying for the user interface and WordStream's AI that helps you uncover efficiencies and opportunities the more you use the product and its 20 Minute Work Week. We used WordStream because we didn't have a Google …
Chose WordStream
None of the tools researched seem to match all that WordStream had to offer. Plus we got a great recommendation from peers!
Chose WordStream
For our needs, WordStream was the most cost-effective AdWords management solution (as compared to Marin). Our real alternative was to continue using AdWords only; we felt that the added benefit of time-saving tools and personal consulting made the added management cost …
Chose WordStream
WordStream is a little different from the competition. There are much more expensive solutions that manage the account for you with more features (Kenshoo, Marin, etc) and there are cheaper solutions out there that offer some of the features that WordStream provides; however, …
Chose WordStream
There is no magic solution; you either want to save the management fees which means you need to learn and spend many hours of managing your AdWords or just hire the right people to do it for you. If we had spent a few dollars more to hire a professional I think we would have …
Chose WordStream
I haven't used any other products like Wordstream in the past.
Chose WordStream
Both Hubspot and Salesforce are not exactly related to what WordSteam does - but very useful for our business.
Chose WordStream
Unfortunately the agency I am with used other products like this for social media management. I have little perspective or insights to provide in regards to this.
Chose WordStream
Affordable, Great Information Resource, Excellent Customer Service, easy, good design, nice reports, multi-dimensional/multi-platform
Chose WordStream
None - WordStream is pretty much an uncontested leader in the AdWords tool department, since we didn't want to go full digital agency.
Chose WordStream
Not as detailed.
Features
Google AdsWordStream
Ad Campaigns
Comparison of Ad Campaigns features of Product A and Product B
Google Ads
7.1
Ratings
10% above category average
WordStream
-
Ratings
Ad campaign creation7.80 Ratings00 Ratings
Ad deployment7.50 Ratings00 Ratings
Display advertising7.40 Ratings00 Ratings
Ad display and retargeting segmentation7.50 Ratings00 Ratings
Sequence targeting6.70 Ratings00 Ratings
Contextual advertising7.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Social advertising5.80 Ratings00 Ratings
Ad Reporting & Analytics
Comparison of Ad Reporting & Analytics features of Product A and Product B
Google Ads
7.3
Ratings
6% above category average
WordStream
-
Ratings
Ad dashboards7.30 Ratings00 Ratings
Ad performance reports7.90 Ratings00 Ratings
Ad conversion tracking7.30 Ratings00 Ratings
Ad attribution reporting7.20 Ratings00 Ratings
Ad forecasting and optimization6.70 Ratings00 Ratings
Ad Auctions
Comparison of Ad Auctions features of Product A and Product B
Google Ads
7.9
Ratings
6% below category average
WordStream
-
Ratings
Ad bidding7.90 Ratings00 Ratings
Best Alternatives
Google AdsWordStream
Small Businesses
WordStream
WordStream
Score 6.9 out of 10
LocaliQ
LocaliQ
Score 8.7 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
WordStream
WordStream
Score 6.9 out of 10
LocaliQ
LocaliQ
Score 8.7 out of 10
Enterprises
Adobe Advertising Cloud
Adobe Advertising Cloud
Score 8.7 out of 10
Adobe Advertising Cloud
Adobe Advertising Cloud
Score 8.7 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Google AdsWordStream
Likelihood to Recommend
8.6
(0 ratings)
9.1
(0 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
9.6
(0 ratings)
9.0
(0 ratings)
Usability
7.6
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Performance
9.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
9.0
(0 ratings)
9.6
(0 ratings)
Online Training
9.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
1.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
10.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
Google AdsWordStream
Likelihood to Recommend
Clients who are selling products such as dresses, clothes, jewelry, beauty products, etc., generally work well. Also, in some cases, it doesn't fetch a good ROAS for very small business owners. If a client is already doing well in SEO, the probability for it to perform well over Google Ads is always enhanced, and if it doesn't have a good organic reach, Google Ads also suffers.
Read full review
WordStream is so beneficial to a green digital marketing team. If your team is new to paid ads, this will help immensely. It might not be as beneficial for a company that does not use AdWords and is strictly in social ads.
Read full review
Pros
  • Keyword Research - Google Ads has a handy built in tool that helps determine important keywords to target both for Ads & SEO
  • Intuitive Analytics Dashboad - Google Ads makes it fairly simple to see and analyze important metrics on how your ads are running week after week
  • Intuitive Setup - Google Ads makes it easy to figure out how to run ads with little to no training (although training is highly recommended to run effective ads), as their interface is clean and easy to figure out (unlike competing products).
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  • Remove duplicates: The platform has a tool that enables marketers to easily identify duplicate keywords across campaigns, ad groups, and the account; from there duplicates can be paused in an effort to improve quality scores and account performance.
  • Bid management: WordStream reveals which current keywords can improve campaign performance by increasing and decreasing their bids - updates can be made on the spot.
  • Ad optimizations: WordStream scans paid search accounts to ensure each ad group is using high performing ads. Marketers can quickly create new ads, and pause ads based on the tool's recommendations.
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Cons
  • Google's heavy dependence on AI makes many of the campaign behavior inscrutable and, often, it performs poorly as a result.
  • Their responsive ads, for example, which are heavily recommended by them, often perform significantly worse than normal text ads.
  • Their support, while relatively quick, becomes useless if you need any deep insight/help.
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  • This is definitely not for a beginner and require knowledge on how PPC/SEM campaigns are run unless you purchase the premium support package that includes a dedicated representative to which they are very helpful.
  • We had some serious tracking issues and were unable to effectively track the clicks to our website. Because of this, I had to start from scratch and decided not to use WordStream.
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Likelihood to Renew
As of today Google AdWords leads approximately 90% of paid searches globally. There is practically is no other network that can offer such a relevant and engaging audience at the price. The PPC model is also unique in that no media dollars are wasted, since PPC models ensure brand interaction versus traditional media which has heavy ad avoidance and clutter but still charges a hefty amount for ads.
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I am not the PPC manager here so I have to use the products available.
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Usability
This is more of a subjective rating, because I think it can be increased with how much our ad spend is. The more of an ad spend, the more visibility we can get, and therefore all features can climb. With an overall larger presence the usability is that where we can get messages out quick, and that's the main thing we try to do with our campaigns.
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No answers on this topic
Support Rating
We have not yet had an account rep who hasn't tried to bully me or other employees to raise our budgets. At the same time, several years ago, one attempted to help refine our ads and ended up changing the ads to be something we were not affiliated with
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I have not had any experience with the customer support team for platform issues, but the account representative checks in with us often and is always available to answer questions. We will usually get on quarterly review calls so that she can share any new updates to the platform and answer questions.
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Online Training
Daily use with advanced account structures. Familiarity with reporting/api and complex setups.
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No answers on this topic
Alternatives Considered
Google Ads remains at the top advertising channel within our business for both lead volume and revenue generation, whilst maintaining a reasonable cost per lead (CPL). Both Meta Ads and Microsoft Ads have a much lower CPL, those channels don't contribute as much revenue and lead generation.
Read full review
I've never used a system to help with my Google AdWords. This was the first system I had used. WordStream definitely takes the cake though, I have a hard time believing there could be a better system out there. I wouldn't even consider going to look for a new system. I am confident WordStream has owned the Google AdWords space.
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Return on Investment
  • Once we got the hang of it and had everything setup, it was a great monthly expense that we could count on ROI from. Either by obtaining new customers or literally staying above our competition in search rankings.
  • We also started consulting on ads for customers and helping them set things up, which created a new revenue stream for us.
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  • Since beginning to use the tool, we've seen our search impression share nearly double for some campaigns.
  • We've increased our click-through rates by over 25% since adding WordStream to our toolset.
  • I'm more confident in the strategies that are having an impact on our cost per conversion, and can better forecast our impact for the future.
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ScreenShots